Shuttle XPC smaller, pricier than competition

Even if we don't love Shuttle's XPC H7 5800 gaming system, we have to give Shuttle credit for offering a smaller small form factor desktop than its boutique competition.

Shuttle's XPC H7 5800 small form factor gaming PC.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

We found in our review that a Core i7 CPU and a dual-chip GeForce 285 GTX card make this Shuttle system a respectable gamer, but this configuration will cost you $250 more than the same specifications in a Falcon Northwest FragBox 2, and $600 more than an X-Cube from Maingear. Shuttle also has no 64-bit Vista option, which means if you opt for the 6GB of RAM, as we found in our review unit, you effectively waste 2GB of it thanks to 32-bit Vista's 4GB RAM limit.

Shuttle's one advantage is that the XPC H7 5800 is two to three inches smaller than those systems in every dimension You sacrifice some upgradeability (the Shuttle can support only one double-wide 3D card, while the others can take a pair of them), but if you really want the most compact gaming desktop possible, this might be it. As much as some of you may value its smaller size, we don't find it worth an extra $600, and the 32-bit operating system makes it that much harder to stomach.

Read our full review of the Shuttle XPC H7 5800.